2.4
अर्जुन उवाच
कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन ।
इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन ॥
arjuna uvāca
kathaṃ bhīṣmam ahaṃ saṅkhye droṇaṃ ca madhusūdana
iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāv arisūdana
Arjuna is speaking to Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण), and he answers the command to stand with the two names.
The verse
Arjuna said: How shall I fight back in battle with arrows against Bhīṣma (भीष्म) and Droṇa (द्रोण), Madhusūdana (मधुसूदन), the two who are worthy of worship, slayer of enemies?
नेपालीमा
अर्जुनले भने, हे मधुसूदन, हे शत्रुको नाश गर्ने, पूज्य भीष्म र द्रोणविरुद्ध बाणले युद्धमा म कसरी प्रतिकार गरूँ।
Where it sits
The command to stand meets the grandfather and the teacher. He asks how a man fights the two he worships.
Split: कथम् + भीष्मम् + अहम् + सङ्ख्ये + द्रोणम् + च + मधुसूदन + इषुभिः + प्रतियोत्स्यामि + पूजा-अर्हौ + अरिसूदन
katham + bhīṣmam + aham + saṅkhye + droṇam + ca + madhusūdana + iṣubhiḥ + pratiyotsyāmi + pūjā-arhau + arisūdana
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| कथम् | katham | indeclinable | how. |
| भीष्मम् | bhīṣmam | accusative | Bhīṣma (भीष्म). |
| अहम् | aham | nominative | I. |
| सङ्ख्ये | saṅkhye | locative | in the battle. |
| द्रोणम् | droṇam | accusative | Droṇa (द्रोण). |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| मधुसूदन | madhusūdana | vocative | Madhusūdana (मधुसूदन). |
| इषुभिः | iṣubhiḥ | instrumental plural of iṣu (इषु) | with arrows. |
| प्रतियोत्स्यामि | pratiyotsyāmi | future, 1st singular of prati-yudh (प्रति-युध्) | I shall fight back. |
| पूजा-अर्हौ | pūjā-arhau | accusative dual | the two who are worthy of worship. |
| अरिसूदन | arisūdana | vocative | slayer of enemies. |
The phrases
कथम् भीष्मम् अहम् सङ्ख्ये द्रोणम् च katham bhīṣmam aham saṅkhye droṇam ca is the question and its objects. How shall I, in this battle, against Bhīṣma (भीष्म) and against Droṇa (द्रोण). भीष्मम् अहम् bhīṣmam aham is recited bhīṣmamaham (भीष्ममहम्). saṅkhye (सङ्ख्ये) is the same battle he sat down in.
iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi (इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि) is the weapon and the verb. With arrows I shall fight back. The future is his. He is not saying he is fighting now.
pūjārhau arisūdana (पूजार्हौ अरिसूदन) names the two men a second way, and names Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण). The two worthy of worship; O slayer of enemies. madhusūdana (मधुसूदन) in the first line is the same vocative, earlier.
Sanskrit in this line
pūjārhau (पूजार्हौ) is dual, "the two worthy of worship," and the dual ending is easy to lose. au (औ) before a vowel becomes āv (आव्): पूजार्हौ + अरिसूदन pūjārhau + arisūdana is recited pūjārhāv arisūdana (पूजार्हावरिसूदन). The āv (आव्) is still the dual. If you read a singular adjective, Bhīṣma (भीष्म) and Droṇa (द्रोण) collapse into one unnamed quality.
Say it back
The two names, the arrows, and the dual. If pūjārhau (पूजार्हौ) comes out singular, stay here.